Legal Writing: Precision and Persuasion

Dallas May 13, 2016 Cityplace Conference Center
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Overview

Whether you're a new attorney or a seasoned professional, effective legal writing is essential for a successful professional practice. Join experienced UT instructors for a step-by-step approach to great legal writing: learn what causes poor writing, explore the principles of clear and persuasive prose, and leave with practical tips and materials to help you bring excellence to your writing.

INSTRUCTORS

Kamela Bridges teaches legal writing at The University of Texas School of Law. A member of the faculty since 2000, she teaches Legal Research and Writing, Brief Writing and Oral Advocacy, and Advanced Legal Writing: Litigation. She is the co-author, with Wayne Schiess, of Writing for Litigation. Prior to joining the faculty, Bridges was a partner at the firm now known as Locke Lord, where she handled civil matters at the trial level and on appeal.

Wayne Schiess teaches legal writing at The University of Texas School of Law and directs the David J. Beck Center for Legal Research, Writing, and Appellate Advocacy. After practicing law at Baker Botts LLP, he joined the faculty at UT Law in 1992. He has written four books on legal writing, including Preparing Plain Legal Documents (2d. ed. 2015) and Writing for the Legal Audience (2d ed. 2013). He writes a monthly column on legal writing for Austin Lawyer magazine.

Event Schedule

Program is subject to change.
All times are Central Time Zone.

Time

Credit

Subject

Speaker
Friday Morning, May 13, 2016
8:00 am

Registration Opens

Includes continental breakfast.
8:25 am

Welcoming Remarks
8:30 am

0.50 hr

Pleasing the Court

Judges have opinions about legal writing too. Hear the best advice collected from a variety of judicial sources about what judges do and don’t like in legal writing.

Kamela Bridges, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX
9:00 am

0.50 hr

Beyond Commas

Legal writing is professional writing. Legal writers should master not only basic writing mechanics but also advanced skills. Learn the fine points of grammar that will add credibility and precision to everything you write. In addition, get to know the most reliable sources to consult when you need to answer a question that goes beyond commas—and when you need advice on commas, too.

Wayne Schiess, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX
9:30 am

0.50 hr
Point/Counterpoint
Enjoy an enthusiastic and informative debate on three writing topics:
- Practical: How detailed should your pleading be—general or specific?
- Persnickety: Can we and should we avoid the default male pronoun (he, him, his) in legal writing? Are we sexist if we don’t? And can we use the singular they?
- Passionate: Legal citations for practitioner documents—in footnotes or in text?
Kamela Bridges, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX
Wayne Schiess, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX
10:00 am

Break
10:15 am

0.50 hr
Looks Matter
Learn to:
- layout a legal document so it welcomes readers—even those who read it on a screen;
- use Microsoft Word to enhance outlining and document navigation;
- generate a Table of Contents in 5 seconds; and
- make Microsoft Word’s grammar checker useful instead of laughable.
Wayne Schiess, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX
10:45 am

0.50 hr

Too Much, Too Little, or Just Right

You found some relevant cases and you plan to rely on them, so shouldn’t you tell the reader about them? Or not, since no one wants to read a series of lengthy case summaries? Learn techniques for presenting legal authority concisely and efficiently, including selective use and placement of explanatory parentheticals.

Kamela Bridges, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX
11:15 am

0.50 hr ethics

Name That Penalty (Part I)

Guess the consequences for lawyers who misquote, exceed the page limit, attack the judge, and just plain write poorly in this entertaining and informative multiple-choice quiz.

Wayne Schiess, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX
11:45 am

Pick Up Lunch

Included in registration.
Friday Afternoon, May 13, 2016
LUNCHEON PRESENTATION
12:05 pm

0.50 hr

Why Good Writing Matters: A View from the Bench

Good legal writing helps the court understand what you're asking for, and why you're asking for it. Hear straight from the bench about what happens when papers are well written, and what can happen when they are not.

Hon. H. DeWayne "Cooter" Hale, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas - Dallas, TX
12:35 pm

Break
12:50 pm

0.75 hr

Organization: Giving the Reader a Roadmap

Sensibly ordering your writing is important, but not as important as ensuring that your reader knows the order you’ve chosen. Convey that order by using up-front conclusions and summaries, headings (both topical and explanatory), bullets, transitions, and connectors.

Kamela Bridges, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX
1:35 pm

0.75 hr

Persuading with Style

In legal writing, exaggeration, hyperbole, and sarcasm don’t persuade, and neither do bold italics, ALL-CAPS, or exclamation marks!!! Legal writers have more effective tools. Learn sentence- and word-level writing techniques ranging from punctuation to classical rhetoric that legal writers can easily add to their tools for persuasive writing.

Wayne Schiess, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX
2:20 pm

Break
2:30 pm

0.50 hr

You've Got Questions

Attendees anonymously submit a question related to writing, and the presenters answer them.

Kamela Bridges, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX
Wayne Schiess, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX
3:00 pm

0.50 hr

Lawyers are Editors

Bad writing becomes good and good writing becomes great only through editing. Get advice for improving your editing techniques, creating and using an effective editing checklist, implementing a thorough editing process, and editing in a time crunch.

Kamela Bridges, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX
3:30 pm

0.50 hr ethics

Name that Penalty (Part II)

More consequences for lawyers who fail to cite, omit binding law, blather on for pages, and just plain write poorly in this entertaining and informative multiple-choice quiz.

Wayne Schiess, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX
4:00 pm

Adjourn

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